Rotherham United manager Matt Taylor rebuilding from an experienced defensive platform

By getting Lee Peltier, Sean Morrison and Tyler Blackett to sign new contracts and making Grant Hall's loan from Middlesbrough permanent, Taylor has built a base he said had to be done first before he could look to the transfer market.

But he thinks any youngsters who catch the eye in pre-season training are likely to have to go out on loan before they can be considered for the Championship.

"You're looking for a balance of ages," said Taylor. "Experience at centre-half is a pathway you want to go down more than other positions. That experience is vital down the spine of the team and in the changing room.

"We know what profiles we've signed so far and what we're aiming for. We're conscious of body-hardened Championship players between 25 and 30 who've played 40-plus games the last three seasons but they cost a certain amount of money and the majority aren't available anyway so we have to be inventive and creative.

"We can't work the same way as other clubs can so we have to find ways to still build a balanced squad and it's a great starting point. I wouldn't have liked it if we were signing those four at the end of the window, we've done it the right way around to get them settled, get a good pre-season under their belt and learn a bit more about their bodies, especially Tyler's and Sean's.

"But we are conscious we need legs, we need energy, we need enthusiasm, we need other positions on the pitch."

It seems unlikely to come from within, however.

"The majority we've seen before, even the young players, but seeing them training every single day and playing the pre-season games is good,” said Taylor.

"But more likely than not that group of four or five young players between 18 and 20 will still go out on loan.

"From what we saw last season they aren't quite at Championship level so we don't want to throw them in at that level. We're trying to get them full-time loans or loans of a good standard at National League level because it's a huge gap when you come from a category three academy to Championship football, it's night and day. We have to give them time but they're certainly learning a lot.

"Then the ones who maybe didn't get the game-time they wanted last season have a chance to impress.

"They look hungry, which means they've done their work in pre-season."